Howdy Texan –

It was a busy week in Washington! Before I hop on my flight back home to Texas, I wanted to take a moment to update you on my work in Congress and our community.

ON THE DOCKET:

Supporting the NDAA
Visiting with Local Veterans
Moving Appropriations Bills through Committee
TX-31 Congressional Veteran Commendation

THE BRIEF:

The Biden administration has expanded its migrant program to accept up to 522,000 asylum seekers into the U.S. per year.
Nearly 70% of U.S. adults say transgender athletes should be allowed to compete only on sports teams that correspond with their biological sex, Gallup found.
Under Biden, savings are down, wages are down, and economic confidence is down.

SUPPORTING THE NDAA

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the House today, and I was proud to support it. In a world where our adversaries are becoming more bold, the United States military needs to focus on deterrence efforts and readiness. This year's NDAA strikes a good balance between supporting our service members' quality of life, increasing readiness, and being a good steward of Americans' hard-earned money.

This bill:

Provides increased oversight to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse.
Authorizes a 5.2% pay raise for our troops, the largest in 20 years.
Focuses on Pacific deterrence efforts to combat China's increased aggression.
Refocuses America's military on protecting the homeland by prohibiting liberal priorities like drag show recruiting and Green New Deal initiatives.

VISITING WITH LOCAL VETERANS

I met with Star Group- Veterans Helping Veterans while they were in Washington this week. This nonprofit organization is a network for Central Texas veterans that ensures no veteran is left behind. We chatted about the work they are doing in our community and the work I do for veterans as chairman of the Veterans Affairs Appropriations subcommittee. It is an honor to represent these selfless heroes in Congress.

MOVING BILLS THROUGH THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

This week, the House Appropriations Committee passed the Financial Services & General Government Appropriations bill, which reins in wasteful Washington spending and protects small businesses.

This package:

Rescinds wasteful Democrat spending for a supercharged army of 85,000 IRS agents.
Rejects over $50 billion in funding increases from President Biden's budget request.
Saves $64 million by slashing funding for 31 unauthorized accounts.
Supports economic growth and protects American investors and small businesses by prohibiting funding for costly and heavy-handed regulations at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the climate disclosure rule.

TX-31 CONGRESSIONAL VETERAN COMMENDATION

The TX-31 Congressional Veteran Commendation (CVC) is a nominations-based program designed to recognize Texas’ 31st Congressional District veterans for their wartime sacrifices and peacetime community involvement. If you know an outstanding TX-31 veteran, please nominate them for my CVC. The deadline to nominate a veteran is Thursday, September 7 at 5:00 PM.

You can learn more here.

Nominate an outstanding veteran here.

As always, thank you for taking the time to stay updated on what's happening in Texas' 31st congressional district. Follow my Facebook and Twitter accounts for more updates.

It is an honor and privilege to represent you and Texas in the United States House.

Sincerely,